Dont we all have lingering grudges that we love to clutch on to? Havent you been wronged or cheated at some point of time? Dont we all feel let down when people turn out to be quite different from what we thought they were ( and were capable of! ) These hurts are invariably those which were inflicted upon us by those whom we considered friends, or those people who we had high expectations from. If a stranger cheats you, it may get you mad, but you tend to move on. Whereas if a friend cheats you, you love to dwell upon it.

I know it sounds hard but believe me its not impossible. Yes I am talking about freeing your soul through forgiveness. Do you really want to hang on to old hurts? Even though you know they arent good for you? I am not talking through my hat, I talk out of experience. And believe me, it works.

When I talk forgiveness, I dont mean that you walk up to that person and tell him you have forgiven him. You may argue, that if a person is not sorry for what he has done, how can you forgive him? You need to forgive people in your heart. Reason with your mind, and grant forgiveness to those who wrong you, within your heart. You will see how free you feel after that. As it will rid your mind / heart from pent up anger, rage, hatred, stress and anxiety. All of which are known to manifest themselves in the human body as disease ( eg. Hypertension, cancer, depression, cardiovascular disease etc)

In our day to day existence there are many areas of conflict, whether at work, with a parent, with a spouse or even friends. If we learn to forgive instead of nursing grudges, see the difference it makes to your life. Start small, by resolving your everyday hurts through forgiveness. It will take time before you learn to forgive those who have deeply hurt you. As you go along, forgiving, and freeing yourself, you will realize that forgiving becomes easier and easier.

- Hasina Wajeed